China Seminar: Does International Human Rights Law Still Matter in Hong Kong?

October 10, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Mānoa Campus, Virtual via Zoom


featuring
Carole J. Petersen<
Cades Foundation Professor
William S. Richardson School of Law
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Speaker's Summary:
The National Security Law, which was imposed on Hong Kong in 2020, takes precedence over local law and has profoundly affected civil liberties and the right to fair trial. But that does not mean that international human rights law no-longer matters in Hong Kong. In cases that do not affect Beijing’s core interests, local judges are still enforcing human rights treaties and ruling against the local government. This is particularly evident in strategic litigation to advance the rights of the LGBT community and the rights of asylum seekers. If the local government is serious about trying to rebuild Hong Kong’s international reputation then it should accept and fully implement these rulings.

Speaker's Bio:
Carole J. Petersen is the Cades Foundation Professor in the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoā. She taught law in Hong Kong from 1989 to 2006 and continues to research human rights in the territory. In 2023, she published: Territorial Autonomy as a Tool of Conflict Resolution? Lessons from “One Country, Two Systems” in Hong Kong, in the ACADEMIA SINICA LAW JOURNAL, 2022 Special Issue 195-243, available at https://www.iias.sinica.edu.tw/publication_post/1379/9. Professor Petersen holds a BA from the University of Chicago, a JD from Harvard Law School, and a Postgraduate Diploma in the Law of the People’s Republic of China from the University of Hong Kong.

The views expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect East-West Center policies or positions.


Ticket Information
Please visit EastWestCenter.org/events to register for this event.

Event Sponsor
East-West Center, Mānoa Campus

More Information
808-944-7691, https://www.eastwestcenter.org/events/does-international-human-rights-law-still-matter-hong-kong

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